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The Food Cop Undercover – Carl’s Jr.

Carl’s Jr., which some would say has become popular more for its sometimes controversial commercials instead of the fact that they charbroil its hamburgers, is one of the largest fast-food establishments in the Western United States. Started in 1941 by Carl and Margaret Karcher with a hot dog stand in Los Angeles, California, there are now over 1,200 Carl’s Jr. locations, including locations in China.

Like many fast-food establishments, Carl’s Jr. is constantly making changes to its menu, in order to attract new customers and maintain its current customer base. In response to the weak economy, however, Carl’s Jr. has chosen to pride itself upon the high quality of its food, rather than lower its prices and offer value meals.

But does high quality food mean it’s healthy and nutritious? Let’s take a look…

Keep in mind the following intake recommendations from the American Heart Association when reviewing Carl’s Jr. nutrition information:

Total fat: limit total fat intake to 30% or less of total calories (for a 2,000 calorie diet, this would be 60 grams of fat per day)

Saturated fat: limit saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories (for a 2,000 calorie diet, this would be 20 grams of saturated fat per day)

Carl’s Jr. Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger, which is one of the more popular charbroiled items, contains a whopping 1000 calories, 54 grams of total fat, 24 grams of saturated fat, 1840 mg of sodium, and 145 mg of cholesterol – definitely not a healthy choice. However, this item does contain 53 grams of protein, thanks to the two beef patties it contains. Another popular charbroiled item – the Super Star with Cheese – contains 940 calories, 59 grams of total fat, 24 grams of saturated fat, 1560 mg of sodium, 145 mg of cholesterol, and 48 grams of protein, making this another very unhealthy choice.

Unfortunately, the majority of the items on Carl’s Jr. charbroiled menu are just as unhealthy. However, the Big Hamburger does contain considerably less calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol than its counterparts – it contains only 490 calories, 18 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 1000 mg of sodium, 50 mg of cholesterol, and 25 grams of protein. The Kid’s Hamburger and Kid’s Cheeseburger are also healthier options on the charbroiled menu, and they’re not just for kids.

If you’re not a meat eater, Carl’s Jr. has numerous turkey, chicken, and fish items on its menu, all of which contain considerably less calories, fat, and cholesterol than the charbroiled items. However, the sodium content in some of these items is still very high. For example, the Fish & Chips and the Bacon Swiss Crispy Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sandwich contain 1410 mg of sodium. However, the Honey Mustard Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrapper contains only 640 mg of sodium, and the Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders (3 pieces) contains 770 mg of sodium.

If you’re looking for a healthy side dish, try the Natural-Cut Fries, but avoid the Chili Cheese Fries, which contains 14 grams of saturated fat and 1710 grams of sodium.

For your beverage choice, Carl’s Jr. offers a variety of soft drinks, shakes, and malts. If you choose a soft drink, stay with a diet beverage, as they do not contain the high amounts of calories and sugar like the regular versions do. Carl’s Jr. also offers bottled water, low-fat milk, and orange juice for other healthy options.

I contacted Carl’s with specific questions about their patties beef content and weight of each per type of burger. They only replied with made “with” pure beef. They ignored my question asking in there were additives, fillers, “binders”, etc. We know they have beef in them… Also they would not answer my questions about patty weight. The literally won’t even reply to that one! There seems to be at least 5 different patties/weights and I don’t always get the same size patties on the same burgers! They very depending on if it’s a “sale” item or not. They are sneaky!!! A sale isn’t always cheaper, beware of getting a smaller burger than usual! Very frustrating as I am getting cheated on cost and they all taste different making their product taste different. There “contact us” and customer service response was truly a joke and did not address any of my questions at all!

Hi Wayne! Thank you for your great comments! I just added a link to the Carl’s Jr. Ingredient Guide at the end of the blog article. While this document states that their ground beef products are 100% pure ground beef, take a look at the ingredients for their beefsteak patty angus food items (and the chicken and turkey items as well) – many of them contain ingredients that can be considered binders, etc.

Regarding the patty weight, note that the advertised weight (and the weight listed on the Nutrition Facts panel) is the weight of the patty in its raw state (before it’s cooked) – the weight of the patty after it is cooked could very well vary, which would be why your patties are a different size each time. The cooking time and other factors could certainly affect the taste as well.

I hope you find this information helpful and definitely let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks for the info. it does clarify 100% pure beef but does not specifically state the weight of the various patties on each different sandwich, only a the ones with names indicating weight. The serving size appears to be the burger as a whole, not the patty.

I’ve patronized Carl’s for over 35 years due to their quality and I know their products REALLY well. In recent years I have found that burger meals that are advertised on the window decals such as “California Classic Combo for $4” often don’t use the same patty on them when they are on sale. They use a smaller one! If you look at the picture of the “California Classic” you’ll see that the patties normally overlap the bun, but when you get the sale ones, the patties are a easily 1/2 inch smaller than the bun and are totally hidden by the buns. I’d estimate the sale patties are at least 25% smaller than the normally priced ones. The same thing has happened on other “sale” burgers I have bought too. Believe me, I eat a lot of them and I know when they are smaller and different, it’s more than just the cooking. The different patties are a different meat grind (or binders/fillers maybe?) and taste different between the various types of patties too. Perhaps it’s just my store going rouge trying to bump up profits without corporate knowing about it? Anyway, it is impossible to actually get an answer from either corporate or the store directly what the patty weight is on the non weight labeled/named burgers. Ie: the big burger, the Western vs the Big Carl, etc. Maybe I’m just blind, but I’m not seeing it.

My post is NOT misleading and I’m sorry if my grammar is not to your liking-this is a public blog, not English or nutrition class. It is here to discuss these food issues and my posting is 100% accurate and true. I experienced it, you did not. You say “french fries are not a healthy side”…??? What? I never even mentioned fries in my posting. My post is specifically about burger patties weight and content on sale vs not on sale. Preach healthy eating and grammar in school, not here.